Halfmoon judge steps down

Kevin Tollisen expected to run for Halfmoon supervisor's job

Published 10:10 pm, Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Kevin Tollisen abruptly resigned as town justice Wednesday, and multiple sources say he has the backing of the Republican party to challenge Supervisor Melinda Wormuth in a September primary.

Wormuth did not attend Wednesday's Town Board meeting where the town clerk read a statement from Tollisen saying was stepping down from the justice position he's held since 2002.

Tollisen did not respond to requests for comment about his political intentions. But his abrupt resignation from the $33,000-a-year town justice post is necessary in order for him to campaign for another elected position.

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Wormuth, meanwhile, has not said whether she'll run for another term. She was re-elected to her third term as supervisor in 2011 when she defeated Deanna Stephenson, a Democrat. It was the the first contested race for an elected position in Halfmoon in more than 12 years.

Political insiders said Wormuth has fallen out of favor with some of the town's GOP leaders who do not want to risk losing their party's decades-long control of the supervisor's seat.

Tollisen's interest in the job comes after Wormuth has endured a series of controversies, including her recent decision to nominate the 22-year-old daughter of a Halfmoon builder as director of the county animal shelter.

The nomination by a committee headed by Wormuth, who received campaign donations from the builder, was rejected by the county board of supervisors. It was later revealed that Wormuth was the only reference listed on the resume of the candidate, Christina Abele, who was among more than 60 people to apply for the job.

The measure went down in a rare defeat for county Republicans, one that is still reverberating among cities and towns.

Two years ago, Wormuth was forced by the state board of elections to return $4,000 in excessive campaign donations to the town's most active developer, Bruce Tanski, who has donated thousands of dollars to town Republicans, including Wormuth, while he's had projects pending before the town.

A year ago, Wormuth resigned as chair of the county public works committee three days after the Times Union published a story about her sale of two small homes to Scott Earl, a local developer and shareholder in a waste hauling company that is vying to control the county's unused landfill in Northumberland. Thomas N. Wood III, then chairman of the board of supervisors, said Wormuth stepped down to remove any "appearance of impropriety." Wormuth still lives in the home she sold to Earl for nearly twice the appraised value.

Tollisen could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. The town's GOP Committee has not yet endorsed candidates for this year's elections, but the party's incumbents typically have endorsements by now during election years. Committee Chairwoman Regina Parker did not respond to a request for comment.

The Halfmoon supervisor's position, which is considered part-time, pays more than $68,450 annually, including $18,000 in pay from the county.

Town Democrats have not yet chosen candidates for 2013.

Stephenson, who attends town meetings regularly, said she's considering another run for elected office but has made no decisions yet.

"It's time that the residents take hold of this government in Halfmoon," Stephenson said. "It is the same ship. They're just rearranging the deck chairs."